Steps
by Sakura987
Summary: Life is not as easy as it seems. Once they enter marriage life, everything become unpredictable. Canon.
1. Fear

**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Fear<strong>

_It was just too dangerous._

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to shove the unwanted, unexplainable feelings. She had no idea why she would think that way. She had no idea why she would come to that decision. She knew that her husband would not like the idea. Her husband would be heartbroken, would be disappointed. But she'd already prepared herself for that. No matter what reaction her husband gave her, she won't take back her words. Because she'd already set her mind.

"I don't want to get pregnant."

Minato's lips twitched. His eyes stared at her, stating that he didn't understand.

"I don't want to have a baby." Kushina said again, clearly this time. She studied the expression on her husband face. He raised his eyebrow, his cerulean blue eyes were darker, staring at her. At first, there was some kind of curiosity on his face. He wondered, and confused. He thought that his wife was joking, just like usual. However, deep inside his heart, he knew that this time his wife wasn't joking. She was serious.

"Why?" Minato tried to hide his feelings. Tried to stay calm like usual. After all, he was famous because of his 'calm-all-the-time' character while he was leading the this time, he didn't hide the fact that he was hurt. He couldn't. He would be lying if he said that he didn't need a child. It was his dream. To build a loving family, to be able to love them, protect them all the time.

That was his dream.

But then… why? Just… _why_?

Kushina was the only person he'd ever loved. He lost his family during the war, and had never really loved anybody since then. He'd known Kushina since they were in academy. Kushina never showed her feminism side to anyone, since she wasn't a feminine girl. She was tomboy, always throw her punch to anybody that made fun of her. Anyone would be back off just by exchanging glance with her. She didn't trust anybody since nobody accepted her anyway. She was treated like some kind of outsider. _She didn't deserve to be in Konoha. She should go back to her torn village._ Kushina wasn't a smart girl at that time, but she was not stupid either. She saw the disgusted look in the villagers' faces. She knew that she was unwanted. Nobody wanted an ugly-red-headed girl like her. Nobody, except him.

She didn't have any idea why Minato would take an interest to her. He tried to smile at her as much as possible, even though at the end she would just ignored him. He said her hair was beautiful when he was saving her from the kidnappers. And that sentence made her unable to sleep for the whole night. Had she gone deaf or something? She hated her hair so much and _that_ Minato just said he loved them? Okay, she was not deaf, but maybe she was started to become crazy. She tried to calm her mind, and telling herself that the next day everything would be okay as normal. She would see Minato, standing in front of her and said, 'sorry, after I think about it, I just realized that I am an idiot and yeah, your hair is the ugliest hair ever.'

However, that was not the case. The next day, Minato was standing in front of her, asking her about her condition and smiled as usual. And for the first time since she stepped in to Konoha, she smiled, making Minato startled.

Minato didn't know why he could be madly in love with Kushina. It was during one of his mission that he realized that he didn't think of Kushina as a friend, but more than that. He missed her every time he went away for mission. He cared for her, want to do the best for her. He hated it when she was secretly crying, when she remembered her lost home. He hated the fact that he was unable to hug her, wipe her tears off and comfort her. He tried to discuss about this feelings with Jiraiya, and as he was expected, Jiraiya laughed so hard like it was some kind of joke. Jiraiya just didn't understand, why the handsome and popular Minato would choose tomboy, rough woman like Kushina? He then realized that only Kushina could make Minato become _Minato_. Only Kushina that could make Minato become comfortable, become his true self. Only Kushina that know his favorite food, cooked for him, support him all the way until he achieved his dream. Kushina didn't love the strong, handsome, diligent, excellent Minato. She just simply loved _Minato Namikaze_. Loved all of him. Not like some kind of woman that loved him for his handsome face or his famous name.

After he realized all that, Jiraiya gave this super advice that made Minato's eyes almost popped out from the sockets. "Marry her."

Kushina will always be his 'only one'. Minato always wanted a happy family. And Kushina _must_ be one part of that family. Minato always wanted a child. A boy that he would carry on his shoulders, or a girl that he would read bedtime stories to. But on top of that, the child must belong to _Kushina_. He didn't want some kind of random child. He wanted _Kushina's_ baby.

"We still can have sex," Kushina whispered, didn't look at her husband's face. She couldn't stand the heartbroken face he was making. "I already got some shot. So… yeah…" She cleared off her throat. "So I don't get pregnant."

"But why, Kushina?" Minato asked again. He leaned toward her, lifted her chin and examined her eyes. He could only saw fear in them. "Are you scared?" Minato asked, surprised to the fact that his wife was _scared_.

"I just… don't want to give birth to any baby in the middle of the war like this."

"The war has gone." Minato replied. Suddenly he remembered his student, his dear Obito that died because of the war.

"But the tension between villages has not gone." Kushina tried to remain calm. The nightmares that came to her sleep every night made her scared. Terrified. She always had the same nightmares. The wars, about her lost village, her lost family, and worse of all, her losing control over the monster inside her, killing everybody she cared for. "I just… can't… Who knows what will happen in the future? Another war… starvation, malnutrition… dangerous mission that will took our child's life…"

Minato bit his lips. He knew Kushina had the urge to cry. He knew what was on Kushina's mind. She was traumatized by the war that had killed her whole family and friends. And she fear that she was going to lose someone that she loved so much. She was traumatized by watching people that lost someone dear to them. Tsunade, who lost her brother and lover. Himself, who lost his student and comrades. Minato didn't know what to say, what to do. He couldn't just push Kushina to have his child. He loved Kushina more than anything. And if Kushina was not ready for all of that, he won't push her. Gently, he bought her to his arms. Hugged her close to him.

"It's alright," he whispered in her ear. "It's alright. I understand."

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

**Thnks for reading :)**

** This is my first English fiction, and I'm not too sure about this.**

**Should I continue?**

**PS: please correct me if you find some grammar or spelling mistakes, thank you :D  
><strong>


	2. Decison

**AN: thank you very much for all encouraging reviews you gave me. Those reviews really warm my heart :)**

**Special thanks for _Tsunade's Apprentice_ for beta reading this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: NARUTO belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Decision<strong>

"You are not serious about that, right?"

Kushina frowned. She stared at her best friend and gave her an 'are-you-kidding-me' look. "Do you think I was joking? Nice one, Mikoto." The red headed woman snorted. She never expected Mikoto to respond like that. She thought Mikoto would understand her feelings and respect her decision. But Kushina could only find a disbelieving expression written all over her face.

"You are different now, Kushina." Mikoto raised one of her eyebrows. "I know that you dislike kids. You said that they are noisy, and such monsters when they cry but you changed your mind after you were engaged with Minato, right?"

"It's not that I dislike kids." Kushina quickly replied. "I… I like them. It's true that sometimes I get annoyed with them wailing and crying. But apart from that, they are _okay_. With those puppy eyes and…"

"Then why don't you have one? With Minato."

Okay. That question was blowing her mind.

"I-I told you the reason, right?" She tried to control her voice. She didn't understand why her voice had become shaky. "The war. The situation right now. It's not safe to have a child in a time like this. After that…"

"Mrs. Namikaze, get ready. Soon it will be your turn." A nurse from Konoha Hospital nodded at her while smiling. Kushina stopped talking as she tried to smile back at the nurse. "You will receive your second shot soon. While waiting, please remain silent."

All eyes were on her now. She nodded silently, tried to hide the blush on her face. Was she too loud? She never realized that. After all, she was not the only woman that had problems with pregnancy and stuff. She looked around, realized that there were a few women that were eager to find out more about the baby inside their stomach. Last month, she saw this woman that came out from the hospital while crying, sobbing non-stop even though her husband was by her side, comforting her.

"Why? Why can't I pregnant! I want to have a baby!"

Kushina closed her eyes tightly. Suddenly she felt so guilty by talking loudly just now. She had her own reason for not wanting to have a baby but what about women that tried so hard to have one, but for whom it was impossible for them because something wrong with their body? She felt like slapping herself now.

"Hey, Kushina. Stop daydreaming, will you?"

"I'm not." Kushina frowned. Why couldn't Mikoto understand that she was not in the mood to talk?

"Anyway, back to the conversation just now. I still don't believe that war is your reason for not having a baby."

The red-headed woman groaned. "Please! Can we stop talking about this? You are not a pushy woman, right? Can you just accept my reasons and _shut up_!" Her bad temper suddenly came back. She _is_ a hot-tempered woman. She hadn't been able to get rid of that bad habit since she was young. She thought living with Minato for a long time would change her into some kind of gentle and patient woman but Kushina without a hot-temper would not be _Kushina_.

"You will be thankful for what I did today, trust me." Mikoto kept talking, ignoring the fact that Kushina was already staring at her as if she wanted to choke her at that moment. "I know you, Kushina. You are not the type of woman that's afraid of war, are you?"

"If your village and family vanished just like this," she snapped her fingers. "You would be the type of woman that is 'afraid of war'."

"No. I mean I _am_ afraid of war. You are not the only one that lost your family," Mikoto stared at her. Kushina's temper went away after she looked at those solemn, onyx eyes. She suddenly regretted her words. Mikoto had lost her parents too and she almost lost her husband during the war. Kushina was very thankful that Minato came home safe and sound. "But the war has gone on for quite a long time. And we lived in peace under Minato-_sama_ as our _hokage_. We should move on, you know."

Kushina groaned. What Mikoto said was true. She and Minato got married just about two months ago, while the war was gone around a year ago. She knew that she was not afraid of war anymore. Not with Minato protecting Konoha. She knew that. Even if there was some kind of enemy from another village that attacked her right at this moment, she would be ready to fight. To chop their heads off. But… she didn't understand. Whenever she thought about babies, the word 'war' was just came to mind, making her feel uneasy. She just… she just couldn't do it. She was not ready to have a baby.

"I know that you refuse to have baby because of another reason."

Kushina tilted her head and stared at Mikoto. "Another reason? There's no other reason! War is the only…"

"You fear yourself."

Her eyes widened at the words.

"You fear yourself," Mikoto said again, satisfied at Kushina's reaction. "You fear that you will not able to protect the baby. You fear that you will lose your baby. That's why in order to avoid those feelings you prefer to not have a baby rather than to have and to lose him."

Kushina opened her mouth, trying to argue. However, no words came out from her lips. Her heart beat so fast. _Am I?_ She asked herself. _Am I afraid… of myself?_ Kushina shook her head, tried to remind herself that war _is_ the only reason and will always be the main reason. She always imagined her baby, her child, fighting outside, alone, and dying. That picture always appeared in her dream. At that moment, Kushina realized something. What made her terrified was not the scene of her child dying. But the scene of her child turned to her, asking for help, while she couldn't do anything. She was powerless to that nightmare. She couldn't even wipe the blood from his face. She stood so far from her baby, trying her best to reach him, to help him, to _protect_ him. But she couldn't.

She was too weak.

Her other nightmare was even worse. She killed her own baby. She killed Minato as well.

The monster inside her was hungry. Hungry for blood.

And it took the life of her loved ones.

_Minato will be able to protect himself_, Kushina tried to comfort herself by chanting those words. _Minato will be okay even if this kyuubi escapes from my body._ However, what about the baby?

She always imagined the baby to have a pair of cerulean eyes, and blond hair. The same as Minato. Similar to Minato.

Whenever she thought of that baby, she felt calm. Her heart soaring as she imagined herself hugging the blond, cute little baby with Minato by her side. She loved Minato's eyes. Cerulean blue, and she would love her baby to have that pair of eyes too.

"All mothers-to-be will feel the same thing," Mikoto smiled. "The question that will pop into their head will be, 'Can I raise the baby right? Can I be a great mother?'. Yeah… I'm a mother now, so I know how it feels."

Kushina stared at Mikoto. "That's… right." She tried to speak calmly, ignoring the fact that her voice was shaky. "I… I don't think I will be a good mother. Mikoto, just… just look at _me_." She pointed at herself. "_Me_. Becoming a mother. I just… I just can't! I'm impatient. I'm rude, and I'm always ready to punch someone that annoys me, even if that person is just a kid!" She remembered the time she landed a punch on Kakashi's head, just because she was annoyed with that cocky brat. "I'm not like you, Mikoto. Gentle, calm, and patient. And I know that Minato will be a great father. But _me_?"

"You can, Kushina." Mikoto touched her hand gently and smiled at her. "You have something that beats all the gentle, calm mothers everywhere."

"What is that?" She frowned. She couldn't find anything great about her character.

"You are protective."

"All mothers are protective." Kushina snorted.

"No. In a way that… you don't mind losing your life in order to safe your child. You are a great ninja. You will be able to protect the baby."

Kushina just stayed silent.

"Think about it. You and Minato will be the perfect combination. Your child will be the luckiest child ever." Mikoto giggled for a while when she saw Kushina blush. "It's okay if you are not calm or gentle towards your child. Minato will be. He will hide your child from you, whenever you are on fire. And I don't think Minato will be a 'fierce' father that makes rules of 'what you should not do' to your child. You will be the one that sets the rule and makes sure that everything goes okay."

Kushina couldn't reply. She was trying her best to hold back the tears that had started to rise.

"And Minato also has that great sense of protection. With you and him as the child's parents, everything will be just fine. Your child will be the happiest child ever."

She closed her eyes and the blond baby with blue eyes filled her mind. However, this time there was no war. No blood. No crying. There was only laughter. The baby looked so… happy. She imagined herself, hugging the baby, kissing his chubby face. Whispering the sentence 'I love you'. And Minato will hug her as well as the baby, protecting both of them.

She knew that she still feared herself. Feared the monster inside her body. However, now she realized something. The baby will be okay, as long as she keeps the monster inside her body. The baby will be okay, with Minato's protection. And her protection as well.

"See? The baby will be okay." Mikoto smiled. "It's okay to have a happy family. Nothing wrong with that. And just remember. The baby will be yours and Minato's. The baby will be strong. Will be a great ninja. Soon he or she won't need your protection." She giggled as she saw Kushina grinning widely.

"Of course! My baby will be the best ninja ever, _dattebane_!"

"That's why! Forget about not wanting to have a baby. After all, my baby needs a friend at his age, you see?" Mikoto patted her flat stomach, making Kushina's eyes widen.

"Your… baby?" She pointed at the stomach with shaky finger.

"Yup. Still two months, gonna get bigger soon." She smiled. "Itachi is going to be a big brother."

"Congratulation, _dattebane_!" Kushina warped her arms around Mikoto's neck. She quickly sat down as all eyes were on her again.

"Mrs. Namikaze," She tilted her face, looked blankly at the nurse that called her. "Your turn, please."

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"Promise me something."

Minato looked up, pushing away his paper work and stared at his wife. He wondered why Kushina looked so serious. He tried to recall othertimes when Kushina had worn the same serious expression. Was that last year, before they went to war? Or last month when she decided not to have a baby?

Kushina took a deep breath, and walked towards Minato. Her husband stretched out his arms, and she sat on his lap awkwardly while his arms covered her waist. She knew that nobody would come to the office at this late a time. "So? Promise what?" Minato giggled as he saw the blush on her face.

"Imagine that we had a baby." She ordered.

Minato froze for a second. "Okay. Next?"

"Imagine that the kid is not a genius like you are. For example… the kid has my brain. A slow learner and sucks at _ninjutsu_."

"Okay. Next?" Minato raised one of his eyebrows, starting to get confused.

"Will you love the kid?"

"Of course I will! It's our baby, right?" He looked a bit surprised with the question.

"And if the kid looks like me. Is a motor-mouth, rude, always playing pranks on people, and maybe a tomboy. Will you lov-"

"I will love the kid even more." Minato replied quickly. "Kushina, why are you asking such questions?"

"One last thing." Kushina ignored the confused expression on her husband's face. "Will you protect the kid? Love the kid the same as or more than you love me?"

"I will. But Kushina, I thought you don't want to have a..." He stopped suddenly as he realized what was going on. "You…"

"So," Kushina tried to hide the blush on her face but Minato saw everything. "I decided that I've changed my mind. And I didn't take the shot today."

"You want to have a baby?" His eyes widen with joy. Kushina had not seen those sparkling eyes since their marriage. "Yeah? You sure? Seriously?" He kept asking, didn't believe his ears.

"Yeah!" Kushina laughed, couldn't stand the bambi eyes that Minato gave her. At that moment, Minato hugged her tightly and captured her lips with his.

"Thank you, thank you," he purred against her lips. "I love you, Kushina. I love you."

_I love you more._ She replied inside her heart. She wanted to exclaim her feelings out loud, but too bad she couldn't. 'Cause Minato's lips kept her mouth busy from talking.

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><p><strong>to be continued...<strong>

**Hope you like this chapter and thanks for reading :)**


	3. Real

**AN: Sorry for the late update... have been busy lately... School problem :p**

**thank you again for all the reviews and encouragement. Really made me happy! :D**

**and special thanks for Tsunade's Apprentice for beta reading this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Real<strong>

She rolled over, shivering as the cool temperature hit her. Unwillingly, she opened her eyes and realized that the windows were left open. She groaned, cursing herself for not being alert enough. She shouldn't have left the windows open. What if some assassins or kidnappers attacked her? She got out of the bed and closed the windows. When she was about to go to sleep again, she realized that the bed was empty. Minato was not there. She forced herself to snap her eyes open and stared at the clock. Her eyes started to see better in the dark, pitch black room. It was three in the morning.

_Again? _Kushina frowned. Minato almost never came home. He tried. She knew he tried. He came back very late at night, even though he could just sleep at his office. Last night, she found Minato sleeping beside her. She snuggled against him, pressing her cheek into his arm. She hated to admit that she missed him _a lot_. However, when she opened her eyes early in the morning, he was gone. Minato was working non-stop. She knew that becoming a _hokage_ means a lot of work but, Minato could always manage his time for work and for her. She didn't know what happened this time, though. Minato worked his ass like there was no tomorrow. Still frowning, she threw herself on the bed, pulling the covers to her body. When she was almost back to sleep, she heard something outside the room.

Her eyes snapped open. She quickly sat up and grabbed the _kunai_ hidden under the bed. She heard some whispers. She didn't recognize the voice. Her jaw was tense. She gripped the _kunai_ tightly.

"We solved the problem. You can get some rest now."

Then she heard Minato's voice. Loosening the grip, she started to relax.

"Thank you, _hokage-sama_. Have a good rest." The unknown man said.

She put back the kunai while lying down. She suddenly felt so stupid by being tense and all that. _Just Minato… and probably some of his men__,__ s_he thought lazily as she pulled up the blankets. Not long after that, the door was opened. She sighed as she felt his familiar weight sat down on bed.

"Hey," she whispered.

He froze. "You aren't asleep?" He asked, huskily. She frowned as she heard his voice. Tired, exhausted. The normal Minato would realize that she had not slept. After all, his sharp instinct was what had made him into a _hokage_.

"Sleep. Now." She hissed, pulled him towards the empty pillow beside her. "And if I find you awake before me, I will _definitely_ kick your ass."

He chuckled at her fierce tone. He took out his vest and turtle-neck shirt beneath it, followed with his pants and just threw them around. He didn't bother to grab a shirt to cover his upper body. With only boxers, he sneaked inside the covers. "Mm.. 'kay…" He murmured weakly as he pulled her towards his chest. His nose nestled on her head. He took another deep breath, catching her scent. He didn't know why, but Kushina's scent can always comfort him. Her scent was not like some feminine, flowery type of scent. It was more like… orange? He didn't know how to explain it, but he loved it. It was warm, comforting, relaxing. Made him feel like he was _home_ whenever he pulled her into his arms. "… Shina…"

"Mmm?" She murmured at the weak whisper, her face pressed into his firm chest.

"… am… home…" Soon, he had dozed off, muttering her name once more before falling into a long sleep.

"Welcome home."

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She looked happy.

Minato realized that as he sipped his tea. Maybe that was because they were having breakfast together. Or maybe because he said something last night that he didn't even remember. He knew that they hadn't spent time together for quite a long time. He felt guilty about it. But he couldn't help it. Some village asked Konoha for help. He _needed_ to accept it. He had no choice. It was important to built friendly relationships with other village. Now, the problem was solved somehow. He sighed happily as he realized that he could spend more time with Kushina.

"You know, the ramen you bought last time was superb!" She exclaimed, while chewing her toast.

"Which one?" He asked, trying to remember which ramen he bought for her. Kushina loves ramen and he often bought her Ichiraku's. But he hadn't bought her any ramen for quite a long time now.

"Oh, the instant ramen. Remember? I found it in the cupboard last night. I was too lazy to cook, with you staying overnight at the office," she grinned.

Minato frowned. "I don't remember replenishing the _ramen_ stock… Are you sure the ramen is safe enough to be…"

Then he saw her smile fade. The color of her face changed, as if blood drained off from her face. "Kushina?" Minato put down his cup and his body started to tense. Her face was green now. She threw her toast, and got up, stumbled her way into the nearest bathroom. "Kushina? What's wrong?" his voice raised as he got up and followed her quickly.

"Stay. Away." She snarled. Her breath was unsteady. Suddenly she brought her hand to her mouth, and her face became pale green. She quickly pushed Minato away, and threw the door shut in his face. His eyes widened and he froze for a second when he heard her vomiting. His eyes caught four big bowls of instant ramen inside the trash bin near the toilet. He reached one and took a quick glance at the expiry date.

"Oh no…" he groaned. Six months ago? And Kushina ate _four_ of them? Sometimes he wondered how Kushina can be such a big eater with her slim and small figure. He opened the cupboard and saw some of the expired ramen. He scooped all of them up and threw them away quickly. _Better do it now before Kushina eats them again._ After disposing all the ramen that was left, he knocked on the the door. "You need anything?"

"Just go away," she replied quickly. Her voice was shaking.

"Kushina. I need to check you out. Open the door." He knocked again, urgently this time. Then she threw up again. Minato frowned. The thought of Kushina suffering and being unable to do anything made him mad. "Kushina? Can I do anything? _Please_?" He was begging now. He should call a doctor. _Never underestimate __food poisoning, _he thought. When he was almost about to transport himself to the hospital to drag a doctor back, he heard her whisper. She sounded in pain but better than before.

"Just… just bring me my toothbrush, and a tee shirt too."

He ran to their bathroom at on the upper floor, grabbed the stuff, and in less than half a minute, he knocked at Kushina's bathroom. The door was opened, and Kushina looked much better. Her face was still pale, but no longer green in color. "I'm okay now." She grinned weakly as she snatched the toothbrush and t-shirt from Minato's hand. "Thanks." And she slammed the door in his face again, making his mouth open in disbelief.

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"Are you sure you are okay now?" Minato asked for the hundredth time.

"I AM fine." And she replied for the hundredth time.

"But you said the same thing this morning," he protested. "And now you look quite sick to me. I really need to take you to…"

"I'm okay now." Kushina sighed. She admitted that she threw up but that was because of the stupid expired instant ramen. Okay, maybe she was the stupid one, not the ramen. But that was only food poisining. And she was fine now. She felt much better after she threw up. She felt better now. She didn't want to waste time by going to hospital and left him alone at home. She missed him. _So much_. She didn't know whether Minato felt the same. She missed him. She hated to admit that. All this time he was busy, working, taking care of his citizens. She was not some kind of selfish woman that wanted her husband all to herself but that didn't mean that she couldn't miss him.

"I can come with you to the hospital, you know," he said, smiling at her. "After all today is my day-off."

"I know," she replied, trying to ignore his smile. She was too familiar with that smile. Minato always let her win in every argument, but he can always manipulate her with that gorgeous smile. She stared at him and his smile widened, as if he knew what was going on inside her mind. "Today is your day-off." She repeated to herself, looking like an idiot. His eyes sparkled as he saw her blush. "That is exactly the reason why I don't want to go to the hospital. I want you to rest, enjoy your day-off. And I want to stay here..." She stared at his cerulean eyes. "With you." She stumbled as she said those words.

She never said those things to him. Never mention to him how she really feels about him. She was never good with words, not like him. But she knew that he understood. "So, can we just stay here for today?" She asked once more, trying to hide her blush.

"I'd love to," he answered, frowning. "But you're not well, not since this morning."

"I am now. You don't see me vomiting again right?"

He sighed, realizing that he couldn't make her to go to the hospital. Indeed, Kushina looked fine now but she had refused to eat anything after throwing up this morning, which made him worried. "Alright. But you at least need to eat something."

She groaned. "I'm not hungry." The thought of eating made her feel sick again.

"I'll cook." He smiled, knowing that Kushina won't refuse his offer. And he was right. In less than a second, she grinned widely.

"Alright, I'll eat. I haven't eaten your cooking since forever!"

Minato couldn't hide his relieved smile. "Sure. What do you want to eat?"

"Anything," she laughed for a moment. "You think of something, while I change my shirt..." She looked down at the shirt that Minato gave her. She had just realized that the shirt was his. A light blue, over-sized t-shirt. She ran upstairs, went to their closet. When her hands dug through her clothes, she saw something inside the closet. She froze.

Pack of pads. Untouched.

She frowned, pulling her fingers, counting the days since her last period.

Then she froze again.

It was not days since her last period. It was _months_.

Two months.

She's not a bright woman, but she's not stupid. She didn't take the shots. She knew exactly what would happen once she stopped having the contraceptive shot. No shots, no period, vomiting...

A baby.

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He hummed his favorite song as he cracked the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Maybe he could make some omelets for dinner. As he reached the spoon, he thought of Kushina. As soon as she had changed, she had ran downstairs, shouting to him that she wanted to get something outside. He asked her where she wanted to go but she didn't reply and fled just like that. He shook his head slightly. He couldn't understand what was going on. Kushina was acting all weird since this morning. He stirred the eggs quitely and suddenly his hands stopped as his nose caught some weird, disgusting smell. He frowned, sniffing at the eggs.

"Bad eggs," Still frowning, he threw the eggs into the sink and opened the fridge. His eyes stuck on dozens of eggs. "Which ones?" He groaned when he realized that he didn't know which eggs were still edible. Finaly, he decided to just crack them one by one. "This going to take a long time." He was thinking of just forgetting about the eggs and cooking something else. But Kushina loves eggs.

It took him about half an hour to finally find the edible eggs. He was still stirring the eggs when he heard the door open. "Minato!" He heard her screaming. "Minato!" She screamed again. He forgot his eggs and tilted his head towards the direction. What happened to her now? Why she sounded so... delighted?

"Yeah, hon?" he called back. He looked at her. She was standing few metres away from him. Her eyes were sparkling, her face beamed like it was about to explode. She breathed heavily as if she had been running fast just now. One of her hands was placed on top of her flat stomach. "What's up?"

"A baby!"

"A baby?" He raised one of his eyebrow, still didn't understand what was going on.

"I'm going to be a mother, _dattebane_!"

Then his mouth dropped. It was a miracle that he didn't drop the bowl too.

He thought back to the time when Kushina decided not to take the shot, when she blushed as she thought of their future baby, when they made love, when he was so busy that he rarely see her, when she vomited this morning, when she suddenly ran from the house without telling him where she wanted to go, and now...

Baby.

Her, becoming a mother.

Him, becoming a...

"I'm going to be a father..." he barely whispered. His face felt hot and the eggs were long forgotten. He didn't believe it. He _couldn't_ believe it. But it was _real_. His eyes were stuck at the red shades over her cheecks, at her glossy violet eyes and finally, at her stomach.

A baby.

His and Kushina's.

A _baby_.

"I'm going to become a mother!" She exclaimed once more. Her feet moved a few steps towards him.

"I'm going to become a father!" He found his voice at last. Still holding the bowl, he moved a few steps as well.

"I'm going to become a mother!" And she threw herself towards him.

* * *

><p><strong>to be continued...<strong>

**thanks for reading. Hopefully i didnt make them out of character...**

**Suggestions are welcome :)**


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